In 2008, Adele Adkins was just 19, and her enormous talent was evident – but her music hadn’t yet made it onto the charts, and no Paul Epworth or Ryan Tedder was fumbling with her songs. She wrote almost all of 19 by herself, with the exception of the Bob Dylan cover, of course.
When you hear the songs today, you ask yourself: How terribly unhappy was Adele back then? And aren’t most of those just emerging from their teenage years just as desperate to find love – while mostly hating themselves, or at least not realizing that their happiness might be in their own hands? Why do so many people long for their youth anyway? Despite all the excess energy, it was a pretty tough time back then.
Listen to what Adele is saying: In the opening song, “Daydreamer”, she sings about a young man who makes her jaw drop (“a jawdropper”) – he is difficult to catch, but if he succeeds, he is that of course change the whole world. Almost all the songs on “19” are requests for the adored one to finally bite and confess their love: “You’re still not mentioning love/ What am I supposed to do to make you want me properly?” (“Best For Load”). In “Crazy For You” she swears that she would do anything for him if he would only listen to her (“Tell me to run and I’ll race/ If you want me to stop, I’ll freeze”). There’s always this vacillation between desperation (“Cold Shoulder”, “Melt My Heart To Stone”) and hope – and the constant begging for affection. But begging won’t do. And neither does all that happiness, self-esteem, and purpose in life that comes with being attached to a (potential) lover. Everyone needs resonance, but also their own place in life.
From time to time she’s fed up
Today, at 33 and after a divorce, Adele most likely knows that. The hit, with which everything began to change for Adele, also revolves around the topic: “Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements/ Even if it leads nowhere?” Well, who would like wise advice for her? give without knowing the guy? In any case, chasing after someone (which means “chasing pavements” in a figurative sense) has rarely turned out to be a good idea.
In between, in “First Love” and “Right As Rain”, she’s fed up and doesn’t feel like it anymore. But then comes a consuming cover of Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Then she is “Tired”, but in “My Same” she dreams again of the compatibility of all opposites – and in the final song, “Home town Glory”, she returns to the sidewalks, strolls through her hometown and suddenly sees the wonders of the world : It’s the people! And for once it’s not just the one. The end as a good beginning.
This text first appeared as part of the column “Birgit Fuß asks her way through”. Read more episodes HERE.